(^11941195)
“Is there anyone with her?” she asked in the hall.
“Katerina Alexandrovna Levin,” answered the footman.
“Kitty! Kitty, whom Vronsky was in love with!” thought Anna, “the
girl he thinks of with love. He’s sorry he didn’t marry her. But me he
thinks of with hatred, and is sorry he had anything to do with me.”
The sisters were having a consultation about nursing when Anna
called. Dolly went down alone to see the visitor who had interrupted
their conversation.
“Well, so you’ve not gone away yet? I meant to have come to you,”
she said; “I had a letter from Stiva today.”
“We had a telegram too,” answered Anna, looking round for Kitty.
“He writes that he can’t make out quite what Alexey Alexandrovitch
wants, but he won’t go away without a decisive answer.”
“I thought you had someone with you. Can I see the letter?”
“Yes; Kitty,” said Dolly, embarrassed. “She stayed in the nursery.
She has been very ill.”
“So I heard. May I see the letter?”
“I’ll get it directly. But he doesn’t refuse; on the contrary, Stiva has
hopes,” said Dolly, stopping in the doorway.
“I haven’t, and indeed I don’t wish it,” said Anna.
“What’s this? Does Kitty consider it degrading to meet me?” thought
Anna when she was alone. “Perhaps she’s right, too. But it’s not for her,
the girl who was in love with Vronsky, it’s not for her to show me that,
even if it is true. I know that in my position I can’t be received by any
decent woman. I knew that from the first moment I sacrificed every-
thing to him. And this is my reward! Oh, how I hate him! And what
did I come here for? I’m worse here, more miserable.” She heard from
the next room the sisters’ voices in consultation. “And what am I going
to say to Dolly now? Amuse Kitty by the sight of my wretchedness,
submit to her patronizing? No; and besides, Dolly wouldn’t under-
stand. And it would be no good my telling her. It would only be
interesting to see Kitty, to show her how I despise everyone and every-
thing, how nothing matters to me now.”
Dolly came in with the letter. Anna read it and handed it back in
silence.
“I knew all that,” she said, “and it doesn’t interest me in the least.”
“Oh, why so? On the contrary, I have hopes,” said Dolly, looking
inquisitively at Anna. She had never seen her in such a strangely
irritable condition. “When are you going away?” she asked.
Anna, half-closing her eyes, looked straight before her and did not
answer.
“Why does Kitty shrink from me?” she said, looking at the door and
flushing red.
“Oh, what nonsense! She’s nursing, and things aren’t going right
with her, and I’ve been advising her.... She’s delighted. She’ll be here
in a minute,” said Dolly awkwardly, not clever at lying. “Yes, here she
is.”
Hearing that Anna had called, Kitty had wanted not to appear, but
Dolly persuaded her. Rallying her forces, Kitty went in, walked up to
her, blushing, and shook hands.
“I am so glad to see you,” she said with a trembling voice.
Kitty had been thrown into confusion by the inward conflict be-
tween her antagonism to this bad woman and her desire to be nice to
her. But as soon as she saw Anna’s lovely and attractive face, all feeling
of antagonism disappeared.
“I should not have been surprised if you had not cared to meet me.
I’m used to everything. You have been ill? Yes, you are changed,” said
Anna.
barré
(Barré)
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